It is well known that meat dishes and fast food can have a significant impact on biodiversity and sustainability. However, recent scientific research shows that some of South Asia’s popular vegetarian recipes may have surprisingly large biodiversity impacts.
Consumers have limited information about the impact on biodiversity if they choose to eat certain dishes made with ingredients that increase the burden on the environment.
For example, consider chickpea curry, a popular Indian dish. India is already experiencing increasing agricultural and population pressures.
India, the world’s largest producer and consumer of chickpeas, could help promote sustainable agriculture simply by switching to other recipes, according to research published in PLOS One.
Chickpea curry is one of the top 25 dishes identified by research as being harmful to biodiversity. It explains that chickpeas are primarily grown on land converted for agriculture in India’s southern Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot.
Topping the list is lechazo azado, or Spanish lamb roast, made with the meat of lamb that is less than 35 days old.
However, the study confirmed that vegan and vegetarian dishes tend to have a lower impact on biodiversity than meat dishes. Greenhouse gas emissions from vegan and ovo-vegetarian diets (including dairy products and eggs) also have a lower environmental impact than most omnivorous diets because they use fewer natural resources.
The good news is that currently available scientific methods can help analyze the biodiversity footprint of popular cuisines around the world, potentially informing sustainable dietary decisions in the future. .
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Estimating the carbon footprint of recipes provides actionable insights into the environmental sustainability of culturally influenced recipes. It is now possible to build a database of ingredients with a high carbon footprint.
Ganesh Bagler, Computational Researcher, Indraprastha University of Information Technology
Increasing awareness of the environmental impact of food-based emissions is leading to more research on the subject, and it may not be long before quantification of food’s carbon footprint appears on menus and labels. yeah.
Examples of recipes that diners who want to protect biodiversity can avoid include fraaldinha, a beef recipe of Brazilian origin, and India’s famous bean dishes.
greenhouse gas emissions
Sustainable food systems and sustainable diets are well recognized as important to combating climate change. About a third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food, with red meat, dairy products and farmed shrimp being the biggest contributors, according to the United Nations.
The production of red meat and dairy products requires vast grasslands, which are often created by cutting down trees and mangroves to release carbon dioxide stored in the trees.
Additionally, livestock emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, when they digest grass and plants. Livestock manure and chemical fertilizers release nitrous oxide, another important greenhouse gas.
Shrimp farms are often created by clearing coastal mangrove forests, which are known to act as carbon sinks. Shrimp’s large carbon footprint is primarily due to the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere when mangroves are cut down.
food data
“Estimating the carbon footprint of recipes provides actionable insights into the environmental sustainability of culturally influenced recipes. It is now possible to build a database of ingredients with a high carbon footprint. ” said Ganesh Bagler, a computational researcher specializing in food. Indraprastha University of Information Technology, New Delhi.
According to Bugler, understanding the relationship between taste and nutrition allows us to create recipes that are both delicious and environmentally sustainable. “Collecting granular carbon emissions data is the best way to address the challenge of feeding a projected population of 10 billion people, while keeping sustainability in mind.” Stated.
According to Bagler, diets around the world are driven by food prepared according to traditional recipes that don’t take into account carbon or biodiversity footprints.
Reducing the carbon footprint of any food system is a much broader challenge than modifying recipes or eating habits. It calls for the adoption of energy-efficient technologies, a transition to renewable energy sources, the decarbonization of food waste, better agricultural practices, and food processing techniques that take into account health and environmental considerations.
Good nutrition and environmental sustainability are the key to food systems that conserve soil quality and local agro-biodiversity, while ensuring that farmers and others on the supply side are aware of climate change and the need for adaptation. are closely connected.
sustainable diet
On the demand side, consumers need to recognize the value of sustainable diets and environmentally friendly foods and recipes. The creation of a database to promote and preserve the nutritional value of traditional ingredients and recipes, with attention to bioactive components, is awaited.
Adopting a healthy and sustainable diet is especially important at a time when we know with certainty that careful attention to recipes and menus can conserve biodiversity and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It has never been more important.
The world wakes up to the interconnections between food insecurity, climate change, biodiversity loss, malnutrition, inequality, soil degradation, water and energy scarcity, natural resource depletion, and even preventable diseases. is needed.
In other words, what we eat and how we prepare it has a significant impact not only on human health but also on the health of the planet.
This article was first published SciDev.Net. Read the original article.
